Parents 'sabotaging' holidays with work

Almost 60 per cent of parents work while taking a family holiday, a poll has found, with 65 per cent of these working three hours or more a week. Some 64 per cent check their emails at least once a day.

This is sabotaging family time, according to holiday company Tots To Travel, which released the statistics, despite 82 per cent of families rating quality time together a top priority in the poll.

A massive 87 per cent of those polled wanted their partner to stop working on holiday and only eleven per cent of parents felt totally relaxed when they got home. Some 89 per cent felt moderately relaxed to not relaxed at all, basically missing the point of the holiday.

"With technology at our fingertips, work and holiday have become intertwined. If your family holiday is to be relaxing then there needs be a much clearer divide," says Wendy Shand, Founder of Tots To Travel.

She advises consciously deciding to give yourself a work-free break – to the extent of switching off the wifi – and telling your colleagues and family your intention, setting an out-of-office email responder and suggesting colleagues text you, but only in an emergency.